Pittsburgh Panthers vs Louisville Cardinals Prediction, Odds and Picks for Saturday, 11/23/24

A few weeks ago, both Pitt and Louisville thought they had a real chance to win the ACC. Now, they find themselves in the middle of the pack. Both teams are bowl eligible, but otherwise, there is a real chance of a holiday letdown for these squads. As premature winter sets in across much of the country, temps will be in the 40s in Kentucky, and that, too, might play a factor on Saturday. I see a lot of reasons for this game to stay under the point total, and thus my Pitt Panthers vs Louisville Cardinals prediction is under 57.

Let’s start with Pitt. The Panthers have lost 4 straight games, and they may or may not be without the services of freshman breakout QB Eli Holstein. Holstein left with a head injury against Virginia two weeks ago, and he missed last week’s Clemson game. As of the time of this writing (Wednesday), he still had not been cleared to play, although my lean is that he likely will play. Still, he has left 2 of his last 3 games with injuries, and it might be time to protect the kid from himself. Without him, Pitt’s go-fast offense does not work as well, and it might not work great against a good Louisville defense anyway. On the Louisville side, the Cardinals are best when they run the ball first, but Pitt is a top-15 team against the run. This looks like a game that might favor the defenses, and I think both teams will struggle to reach 30 points. Give me the under in this spot.

Pitt vs Louisville Prediction: Under 57 (-110) available at the time of publishing. Playable at that number.